This invention relates to a cable and phone plug assembly and a method for producing it.
The phone plug is a common element of home, live entertainment and studio production systems. It is typically used for connecting audio from component to component.
Phone plugs are comprised of two electrically insulated parts. The tip typically carries the positive side of the circuit and the shield used for the ground.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,601 (Weingartner) discloses a Jack Plug whose housing is conductive and is an integral part of the tubular shaft 5 that fits over the sleeve 12. The housing is necessary for conduction and has grooves and this acts as a ground contact.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,179 (Weingartner) discloses a Jack Plug which has grooved threads for the housing. Its structure and method of making are very different from the GandH invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,930 (Feldman) discloses a Toolless Phone Plug wherein the braided shield of the outer coax cable is drawn into a pigtail 68. The insulated plug body received the braided pigtail in a slot 38.
None of the prior art discloses either the structure of the phone plug of this invention or the method of making it.
This invention provides a shielded or two-conductor cable and phone plug assembly comprising:
a. A tip;
b. A cable containing a conducting element, surrounded by an inner insulation, means for creating a ground connection consisting of a shield or a second insulated conductor, and cable jacket, wherein said conducting element terminates directly in the stem of said tip;
c. An insulator that is attached concentrically around the conducting element;
d. A sleeve that is attached concentrically around the insulator; and
e. A housing that is attached concentrically around the sleeve.
Also provided is a shielded or two-conductor cable and phone plug assembly component comprising:
a. A tip;
b. A cable containing a conducting element, surrounded by an inner insulation, means for creating a ground connection consisting of a shield or a second insulated conductor, and cable jacket, wherein said conducting element terminates directly in the stem of said tip;
c. An insulator that is attached concentrically around the conducting element; and
d. A sleeve that is attached concentrically around the insulator.
Further provided is a method for producing a shielded or two conductor cable and plug assembly comprising:
(1) stripping the cable and preparing the conducting element for termination to a tip;
(2) exposing the shield of the cable and folding it back over the cable jacket;
(3) inserting the stripped end of the cable into a sleeve and passing it through the sleeve;
(4) sliding the tip through a concentric hole in an insulator;
(5) terminating the conducting element directly to the stem of the tip;
(6) sliding the tip and insulator into the sleeve and affixing into place;
(7) crimping the sleeve to secure the cable within the sleeve and enhance the ground connection; and
(8) sliding the housing over the sleeve and attaching the housing to the sleeve.
Still further provided is an audio phone plug assembly component comprising a cable containing a conducting element that terminates directly to a tip and an insulator that concentrically surrounds and is attached to the tip.
The method of this invention allows the production of a shielded cable or two-conductor cable and phone plug assembly at a rate of more than three times the rate of prior art methods. It also allows for direct termination of the conducting element 5 to the tip 2.
The method of this invention further allows the fabrication of a phone plug fully functional with the use of less parts. It does not require the use of a center clip, a ground clip, or some of the insulators that are required in a conventionally constructed plug. Further, the method of this invention allows more flexible assembly and results in a cable and phone plug assembly that provides better sound quality.
The term xe2x80x9ccablexe2x80x9d means an electrical transmission line.
The term xe2x80x9cconducting elementxe2x80x9d means one or more conductors contained in a cable.
The term xe2x80x9ctipxe2x80x9d means the tip contact of a phone plug that fits into a phone jack. The tip stem is the end of the tip opposite the end that fits into the jack.